The View From Europe

The Caribbean is heading for a severe economic contraction (Executive Director of the Caribbean Council for Europe) Slowly, ever so slowly the Caribbean is coming to recognise that it is far from immune from the global economic crisis.

The outlook for tourism is far from brightAs the global economic outlook darkens, the Caribbean tourism industry has begun to look closely at its revenue forecasts and how best to position itself to weather the storm that will affect negatively arrivals from the second quarter of 2009 onwards from all of its main markets.

The Caribbean and restructuring the global financial system On November 15, the heads of government from the world’s most powerful nations will meet in Washington to discuss how to restructure the global financial system.

A new US policy towards the Caribbean? By the morning of Wednesday November 5, the world should know who the next President of the United States will be.

Little government, private sector awareness in the region of recession implications Three weeks ago there was an almost tangible sense of fear in Europe.

A fundamental philosophical divide has  emerged in the context of the EPA After months of argument and eleventh hour confusion, the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between Europe and Cariforum was signed in Barbados on October 15.

EPA presents moment for leadership In times of crisis nations need leadership.

The Caribbean needs to engage in a painful debate on ‘development’ “The euphoria of speculators has spawned the anguish of entire peoples… Only decisive action by governments, especially in countries at the heart of the crisis, will be able to control the disorder that has spread through the world’s financial sector, with perverse impacts on the daily lives of millions of people.

The institutional arrangements in the EPA are of importance Tucked away towards the end of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) that will be signed shortly between the Caribbean and Europe is a section that deals with what are known as the institutional arrangements.

Paying attention to tourism When Caribbean Heads of Government met in Antigua in July they devoted the first business day of their meeting to discussions with representatives from the tourism, hotel and regional airline industries.

A high stakes gamble What should one make of the fiasco over the date of the signing of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Europe?

The collapse of the WTO ministerial leaves the Caribbean in limbo Set in a park with views across Lake Geneva to the snow-capped Alps, the elegant 1920s building that houses the World Trade Organisation is an unlikely, almost surreal setting for the intense multi-dimensional power play over global trade that ended suddenly last Tuesday afternoon (July 28).